(Image: Tim Durkan/CHS)

It’s a wet, blustery night on Capitol Hill when I run into Rick enjoying a chocolate shake in front of a well known burger joint on Broadway. He’s panhandling with his best friend Luke when they figure they have enough for a coffee and head off to a nearby outdoor cafe.

Rick, who prefers that I not use his last name, just celebrated his 40th birthday and smiles when he says, “I didn’t do anything fancy, but I am thankful to be here and to be alive.” Originally from Tacoma, his birthday also represents another important date; marking 22 years of being homeless on the streets of Seattle — most of them here on Capitol Hill.

“It doesn’t really bother me, being homeless,” Rick said. “I don’t like being controlled by others, especially Uncle Sam. I may get my own place one day but don’t want any strings attached. There are benefits to being homeless. Continue reading →

Sean has been living on the streets of Capitol Hill for about 10 years and says he’d like to get off them one day. “Capitol Hill is a cool neighborhood. It has everything I need and is centrally located. The cost of housing is ridiculous and sometimes overly opinionated people go out of the way to mess with you because they don’t like what you do or who you are, but there’s a lot of good people up here.” (Image: Tim Durkan for CHS)

Photographer Tim Durkan is a regular contributor to CHS. This is a new series on CHS dedicated to capturing the faces and the stories of people on Capitol Hill. You can view more of Durkan’s work at facebook.com/timdphotos.